The number of bedbug infestations across the United States has risen over the past several years, and that’s bad news for travelers. Fortunately, there are precautionary measures that everyone can take to avoid bringing unwanted guests into their home.
According to Dr. Rosen, professor of dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, the recent resurgence of bedbugs can be traced back to the ban on strong insecticides like DDT, which had virtually eliminated the pests. After these chemicals were outlawed because of their harmful effects on humans and the environment, bedbugs began to reappear, and their comeback was aided by several other factors. “It was kind of like the perfect storm,” Dr. Rosen says.
The elimination of DDT and other strong insecticides coincided with the development of safe chemicals that could kill cockroaches, a natural predator for bedbugs. These newer chemicals don’t affect bedbugs, Dr. Rosen says, and eliminating cockroaches paves the way for bedbug infestations.
In addition, air travel has become more widespread and less expensive, creating more opportunities for bedbugs to travel with passengers, Dr. Rosen says, and the pests also may infest secondhand furniture, which has become more popular in recent years thanks to the “shabby chic” trend. Finally, he says, bedbugs have mutated over time to become more mobile and develop resistance to insecticides, making the pests harder to detect and kill.
